JP5317819B2 - Image forming method - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To obtain a proper cleaning performance, capable of preventing degradation due to discharge of charges on the surface of an image carrier (photoreceptor), and in particular, to prevent image blurs due to reduced resistance, when the image carrier is a photoreceptor. <P>SOLUTION: Particles of fatty acid zinc or particles of fatty acid calcium 504 having a volume-basis median diameter (D50) of 1.0 to 10.0 &mu;m, and rectangular parallelepiped inorganic particles having a number average particle diameter of 0.1 to 0.4 &mu;m are supplied to the surface of an image carrier, at a position on the upstream of a contact part between a cleaning blade 502 and the image carrier 501, as well as, on the downstream of a transfer unit. Toner particles 503, containing fatty acid zinc or fatty acid calcium particles having a number average particle diameter of 0.1 to 0.5 &mu;m, are used. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&amp;INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an electrophotographic image forming method. More specifically, the electrostatic latent image on the image carrier is developed with toner to form a toner image, and the toner image is transferred to the transfer member at the transfer portion and then brought into contact with the image carrier. The present invention relates to an image forming method for removing transfer residual toner on an image carrier from an image carrier using an elastic cleaning blade.

  In an image forming method used for an electrophotographic apparatus, an electrostatic recording apparatus, and the like, various methods are known as a method for forming a latent image on a photosensitive member such as an electrophotographic photosensitive member or an electrostatic recording dielectric.

  For example, in electrophotography, an electric latent image is formed by performing image pattern exposure after uniformly charging a photoconductor using a photoconductive substance to a required polarity and potential. Thereafter, the toner is developed to develop a visible image, and this is generally transferred and fixed to a transfer medium such as paper.

  2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, multifunction devices compatible with a network that include all output terminals such as copying machines, printers, and facsimiles are widely accepted in the market.

  As such a network-compatible output terminal, an electrophotographic system is widely accepted, but one of the major problems is the duty cycle of the main body. The duty cycle is a limit number of sheets in which the main body continues to operate normally without requiring maintenance by an operator.

  One of the biggest factors that control the duty cycle is the life of a photoconductor as one of the image carriers. If the life of the photosensitive drum can be extended, it is possible to reduce waste, that is, reduce consumables, extend the life of consumables, and improve reliability. From the viewpoint of environmental protection, development of such a technology is required.

  Under such circumstances, highly durable photoconductors such as amorphous silicon (a-Si) photoconductors and organic photoconductors having a protective layer made of a curable resin on the surface are increasingly used as photoconductors.

  However, according to the knowledge of the present inventors, the higher the durability of the photoconductor, the more easily the surface state deterioration of the photoconductor is accumulated, and as a result, the possibility of affecting the image quality increases.

  As a surface change that affects the image quality, fine paper dust generated from paper pieces that are often used as transfer materials, organic components that are deposited from this, and the generation of electric discharge generated due to the presence of high-pressure members in the device For example, the product may adhere to the surface of the photoreceptor. These fine paper dust, organic components, or discharge products adhering to the surface of the photoconductor lower the resistance, particularly in a high-humidity environment, preventing the formation of a clear electrostatic latent image, which leads to image quality degradation. To do.

  In some cases, the surface of the photosensitive member itself is altered by the discharge of the charging device around the photosensitive member, and the hydrophilicity of the surface is increased and moisture is adsorbed to reduce the resistance.

  In addition, even when the image carrier is an intermediate transfer member, surface transfer due to the influence of paper dust or discharge products tends to cause a decrease in toner transfer performance, toner fusion, poor image carrier cleaning, and the like.

  In order to solve these problems, there has heretofore been a technique for allowing a fatty acid metal salt to act on the surface of an image carrier. The fatty acid metal salt acts as a lubricant and can assist the cleaning of the image carrier by adhering to the surface of the image carrier. Among them, attempts have been made to improve the cleaning performance by making full use of two types of fatty acid metal salts. Different materials are used for the technology of externally adding two types of fatty acid metal salts to the toner (see Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2), and for the fatty acid metal salts to be externally added to the toner and the fatty acid metal salts supplied to the image carrier by the application means. An example (see Patent Document 3) is used.

  Further, by covering and protecting the surface of the image carrier with a fatty acid metal salt, it is possible to make it easier to remove deposits on the surface of the image carrier and to prevent surface degradation of the image carrier (Patent Document 4). reference).

  The solution to this problem using a fatty acid metal salt as a protective agent has the advantage that a permanent supply means of the protective agent is secured and the characteristics of the surface of the image carrier can be maintained for a long time. However, the fatty acid metal salt used as a protective agent for such a surface requires the supply to the image carrier and the control of scraping, and if the scraping and the supply are not correct, the reverse is more than when there is no protective film. In addition, the surface deterioration becomes large. Even when the supply / scraping balance is relatively balanced, if supply unevenness / scraping unevenness occurs, it is easy to recognize a decrease in image quality in the output image.

On the other hand, when the fatty acid metal salt is applied to the surface of the image carrier, the density of the brush hair, which is the application member, is 20,000 / 645.16 mm ² or more in order to eliminate uneven application of the fatty acid metal salt. (Refer to Patent Document 5).

  Looking at the material side of the fatty acid metal salt, recently, there is a direction to manufacture a fatty acid metal salt particle having a smaller particle size and respond to a more refined technique (see Patent Document 6). .

Japanese Patent No. 2657995 JP-A-3-69111 Japanese Patent No. 4026633 JP 2005-249901 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-260614 Japanese Patent No. 3906580

  The above-described image forming method in which a fatty acid metal salt is attached to the surface of an image carrier has the following problems.

  Among the recent demands for high-definition image output by increasing the resolution of electrostatic latent images and reducing the particle size of toner, when forming fatty acid metal salts as protective films on the surface of photoreceptors, it is more precise. Therefore, it is necessary to form a protective film for the surface of the image carrier. In addition to fine image formation, when considering a protective film with a fatty acid metal salt from the viewpoint of deterioration of the surface of the image bearing member, for example, if the protective film is not densely formed for adsorption of water molecules or discharge products, These different molecules are likely to penetrate into the film, and surface degradation proceeds. Therefore, improvement of unevenness from a microscopic viewpoint is desired.

  In obtaining such a dense protective film, there is a limit to the contrivance of the coating member to be mechanically applied, and an approach in terms of material is necessary. As one of the methods, it is desirable to use a fatty acid metal salt particle having a small particle diameter, but the fatty acid metal salt particle having a small particle diameter is difficult to handle.

  In an electrophotographic system using blade cleaning, particles having a diameter that is sufficiently smaller than that of a toner are easy to slip through the cleaning blade and remain in one place for a long time and are difficult to be applied to an image carrier. When supplying with a normal coating member, a large amount of supply is required. Even when fatty acid metal salt particles are contained in the toner and supplied to the surface of the image carrier, the amount tends to be insufficient in consideration of the balance between the image carrier surface coating ability and the developability.

  Furthermore, not only the fatty acid metal salt is supplied uniformly and precisely, but also in the step of scraping the fatty acid metal salt film after the supply and application, it must be scraped precisely.

  Accordingly, the object of the present invention is to suppress the above-mentioned problems when using these small-diameter fatty acid metal salt particles, to stably form a dense fatty acid metal salt protective film on the surface of the image carrier, and to deteriorate image quality due to image carrier surface deterioration. It is an object of the present invention to provide an image forming method capable of outputting a high-quality image that is less likely to cause image generation.

  As a result of intensive studies, the present inventors used a toner containing fatty acid metal salt particles having a small particle size while applying fatty acid metal salt particles and rectangular solid-shaped inorganic particles to the surface of the photoreceptor immediately before the cleaning blade contact position. As a result, it has been found that image quality degradation such as image flow is less likely to occur.

Specifically, high-quality and long-life image formation can be performed by using the following image forming method.
(1) The electrostatic latent image on the image carrier is developed with toner to form a toner image, the toner image is transferred to the transfer body at the transfer portion, and then cleaned in contact with the image carrier. an image forming method for removing residual toner on the image bearing member from the image bearing member with a blade, the contact portion upstream in and transfer section downstream of the position of the said clean grayed blade and the image bearing member, the volume Fatty acid zinc particles or fatty acid calcium particles having a standard median diameter (D50) of 1.0 to 10.0 μm and rectangular parallelepiped inorganic particles having a number average particle diameter of 0.1 to 0.4 μm are supplied to the surface of the image carrier. An image forming method, wherein the toner contains toner particles and fatty acid zinc or fatty acid calcium particles having a number average particle size of 0.1 to 0.5 μm.
(2) relationship between the toner to the number average particle diameter of the fatty acid zinc particles or a fatty acid calcium particles contained Da ([mu] m) and the rectangular parallelepiped inorganic particles having a number-average particle size of Dc ([mu] m) is the following formula "1. 5. An image forming method satisfying 5 ≦ Da / Dc ≦ 3 ”.
(3) the clean grayed blade and the volume-based median diameter of the contact portion upstream a and fatty zinc particles are supplied to the image bearing member at the position of the transfer portion downstream or fatty acid calcium particles and the image bearing member (D50) is An image forming method, wherein the image forming method is 3.0 to 8.0 μm.
(4) the clean grayed blade and the image fatty zinc or fatty acid calcium particles are supplied to the carrier and the rectangular parallelepiped inorganic particles at the position of the contact portion upstream in and transfer portion downstream of said image bearing member, a fatty acid zinc or fatty acid image forming method characterized in that it is supplied to the image bearing member surface by taking a mixture of calcium and rectangular parallelepiped inorganic particles brush roller Dekaki.
(5) The image forming method of mixing ratio of the rectangular parallelepiped inorganic particles to the fatty acid metal salt in the mixture is characterized in that 0.2 to 20 vol%.
(6) The image forming method, wherein the rectangular parallelepiped inorganic particles are strontium titanate or calcium carbonate.
(7) The image forming method, wherein the amount of fatty acid zinc particles or fatty acid calcium particles contained in the toner is 0.05 to 0.5 parts by mass with respect to 100 parts by mass of the toner particles.
(8) the main component of the fatty acid metal salt particles contained in the toner is a fatty acid zinc particles, to the image bearing member at the contact portion upstream in and transfer section downstream of the positions of the clean grayed blade and the image bearing member An image forming method, wherein the main component of the fatty acid metal salt particles supplied is fatty acid calcium particles.
(9) Fatty acid metal salt particles contained in the toner, and fatty acid metal salt particles supplied to the image carrier at a position upstream of the contact portion between the cleaning blade and the image carrier and downstream of the transfer portion . The image forming method, wherein the fatty acid is a higher fatty acid having 16 or more carbon atoms.
(10) an image forming method, wherein the fatty acid is stearic acid or hydroxystearic acid.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, when the surface of the photoreceptor is coated and protected with the fatty acid metal salt to solve the above-mentioned problem, the fatty acid metal salt particles and the rectangular parallelepiped-shaped inorganic particles are placed on the surface of the photoreceptor immediately before the cleaning blade contact position. By using a toner containing fatty acid metal salt particles with a small particle size, it is possible to form a dense fatty acid metal salt protective film with few gaps on the surface of the image carrier, and uneven deterioration of the image carrier surface. Can be prevented. As a result, particularly when the image carrier is a photoconductor, the surface charge diffusion of the electrostatic latent image caused by the decrease in surface resistance and unevenness is less likely to occur and the image becomes blurred, so-called image flow. Is less likely to occur.

  According to the invention described in claim 2, since the small-diameter fatty acid metal salt particles are appropriately larger than the abrasive particles, the small-diameter fatty acid metal salt particles are present in the abrasive particle deposition layer in the vicinity of the image carrier surface blade contact portion. It becomes difficult to mix as particles. Also, if the small-diameter fatty acid metal salt particles are not too large relative to the abrasive particles, the abrasive particle layer will not be disturbed even when the fatty acid metal salt particles collide with the abrasive particle layer.

  As a result, the accumulation layer of the abrasive particles is stabilized, the particles of the abrasive particle accumulation layer are blocked, and the movement of the cleaning blade is stabilized, so that the toner cleaning performance is improved.

  According to the invention described in claim 3, when the particle diameter of the fatty acid metal salt particles is within this range, the image blur prevention performance is further enhanced.

  According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, since the abrasive particles for scraping off the fatty acid metal salt protective film are also supplied onto the image carrier, it is easy to control the supply timing and the supply amount ratio, and the image carrier with little waste. The body protection film can be refreshed. Furthermore, since the fatty acid metal salt and abrasive particles to be supplied are supplied from the molded body, a stirring screw or the like is unnecessary, and the apparatus can be simplified.

  According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, when the mixing ratio is used, the balance between the application of the fatty acid metal salt and the scraping with the inorganic particles is good, and the image blur prevention performance can be further enhanced.

  According to the invention described in claim 6, when the abrasive particles are strontium titanate or calcium carbonate, the scraping performance of the protective film by the fatty acid metal salt is improved, and the image blur prevention performance is particularly high.

  According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, when the content of the fatty acid metal salt particles in the toner is 0.05 parts by mass or more, it is easy to form a dense protective film, and it is easy to suppress surface deterioration of the image carrier. When the amount of fatty acid metal salt particles added to the toner is 0.5 parts by mass or less, the influence on the developing device can be reduced.

  According to the eighth aspect of the present invention, the fatty acid metal salt contained in the toner is fatty acid zinc, so that the migration and adhesion of the fatty acid metal salt from the toner surface to the surface of the image carrier is good and the image flow is further suppressed. A dense protective film can be formed. Further, since the supply from the cleaning is fatty acid calcium, it is possible to obtain a high-quality protective film that suppresses deterioration of the image carrier protective film when used in a high-temperature environment and that has a small load on the cleaning blade.

  According to the ninth aspect of the present invention, since the fatty acid portion is a higher fatty acid having 16 or more carbon atoms, it is possible to suppress deterioration due to discharge exposure and increase in hydrophilicity, and to further improve image blur prevention performance.

  According to the invention described in claim 10, since the fatty acid portion is stearic acid or hydroxystearic acid, the degradation of the cleavage of the fatty acid metal salt is suppressed even when the fatty acid portion is deteriorated by discharge exposure, and the lubricity is maintained. And wear of the cleaning blade edge can be suppressed.

1 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing an image forming apparatus according to the present invention. FIG. 4 is an enlarged photograph of an electron microscopic image of a large particle size fatty acid metal salt particle cut out by a brush roller from a fatty acid metal salt molded body supplied to an image carrier upstream of a transfer process downstream cleaning blade contact position device according to the present invention. It is. 2 is an electron microscopic enlarged photograph of small particle size fatty acid metal salt particles to be contained in the toner according to the present invention. It is a figure of the electron microscope enlarged photograph of the rectangular parallelepiped shaped inorganic particle supplied to an image carrier upstream of a transfer process downstream cleaning blade contact position device concerning the present invention. FIG. 6 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a cleaning blade photoreceptor contact portion.

<Image forming process>
FIG. 1 shows an example of an image forming apparatus according to the present invention. FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a digital copying machine. The copying machine shown in the figure includes a drum-type electrophotographic photosensitive member 101 as an image carrier. The photosensitive member 101 is rotationally driven in the direction of an arrow by a driving unit (not shown). Around the photosensitive member 101, a charging roller 102, an exposure unit 103, a developing unit 104, a transfer charging unit 105, and a cleaning device 107, which are charging units, are disposed almost sequentially along the rotation direction. Further, a fixing device 106 is disposed on the downstream side (left side in the figure) of the transfer charger 105 in the conveyance direction (arrow direction) of the transfer body 108.

  The surface of the photoreceptor 101 is charged by the charging roller 102. Next, the laser beam emitted from the exposure means 103 is used to remove the charge on the laser beam irradiated portion, thereby forming an electrostatic latent image. The electrostatic latent image on the photoconductor 101 is developed with the charged toner of the developing device 104. The developed toner image on the photosensitive member 101 is transferred by the transfer charger 105 to the transfer member 108 conveyed in the direction of the arrow. After the toner image has been transferred, the transfer body 108 is conveyed to a fixing device 106 where the toner image is fixed on the surface by being heated and pressurized. The transfer residual toner remaining on the photoconductor after the transfer is collected by the cleaning device 107.

<Image carrier cleaning process>
As a method for cleaning the toner on the electrophotographic image carrier, a brush roller, an elastic roller, or an elastic blade is generally used. The method of bringing the elastic blade into contact with the counter with respect to the direction of movement of the photosensitive member is most often used because it allows a simple configuration. Also in the present invention, a cleaning blade method using an elastic blade is suitable as a method of forming a thin layer by spreading a fatty acid metal salt thinly on the surface of the photoreceptor and scraping off the outermost layer with deterioration or deposits. When the elastic blade for spreading the fatty acid metal salt is contacted separately from the toner cleaning member, it may be the trailing contact instead of the counter contact.

  As a material for the cleaning blade, a rubber material is suitable from the viewpoint of followability to the surface of the image carrier and difficulty in scratching. Among them, polyurethane rubber is most suitable in terms of physical properties and chemicals, and the rubber hardness is preferably an international rubber hardness (IRHD) of 60 to 90 degrees. In the case of an image forming method using a fatty acid metal salt as a cleaning aid, a rubber blade having high hardness is desirable from the viewpoint of scraping property of the fatty acid metal salt, but in the present invention, small-diameter inorganic particles are used in combination as a cleaning aid. By doing so, a blade with a relatively low hardness may be used.

  As a contact method, it is desirable to fix the rubber blade to a support inclined at 15 ° to 45 ° with respect to the tangent to the image carrier at the blade contact position and contact the counter. The blade contact pressure varies depending on the toner to be cleaned and the external additive contained in the toner, but is preferably about 0.1 to 1 N / cm.

<Fatty acid metal salt>
The fatty acid metal salt is composed of a nonpolar site formed by a fatty chain and a polar site formed by a metal and a carboxylic acid. In particular, in the case of a metal soap having a divalent metal, it is easy to take a layered crystal structure in which fatty acid chains are oriented on the surface due to the interaction between polar sites, thereby easily exhibiting a lubricating action between individuals.

  In addition, the fatty acid metal salt has a film-forming ability due to its structure, and by coating the surface of the image carrier, a film that protects the surface of the image carrier can be formed. Since the film to be formed has a layer structure and has a cleavage property, even when the outermost layer is deteriorated by electric discharge or deposits, the outermost layer can be easily scraped and the surface can be refreshed.

  Fatty acid zinc or fatty acid calcium is preferably used from the viewpoint of the image bearing member surface coating performance and the refreshing performance of the image bearing member surface due to the replacement performance of the coating. Specific examples of fatty acid zinc include zinc undecylate, zinc laurate, zinc tridecylate, zinc dodecylate, zinc myristate, zinc palmitate, zinc pentadecylate, zinc stearate, zinc behenate, zinc heptadecylate, arachidic acid Examples include zinc, long chain fatty acid zinc such as zinc montanate, zinc oleate, zinc linoleate, zinc arachidate, and zinc behenate, with zinc stearate or zinc hydroxystearate being particularly preferred.

  Specific examples of the fatty acid calcium include calcium undecylate, calcium laurate, calcium tridecylate, calcium dodecylate, calcium myristate, calcium palmitate, calcium pentadecylate, calcium stearate, calcium behenate, calcium heptadecylate, calcium arachidate, Long chain fatty acid calciums such as calcium montanate, calcium oleate, calcium linoleate, calcium arachidate, and calcium behenate are exemplified, and calcium stearate or calcium hydroxystearate is particularly preferable.

  If the fatty acid part is the same, the zinc salt tends to have a low polarity and melting point, and the calcium salt tends to have a high polarity and melting point.

  In the case of other fatty acid metal salts such as aluminum salts and magnesium salts, it is difficult to form a dense and uniform uniform fatty acid metal salt protective film as in the present invention. Although the reason is not clear, it is considered that, for example, an aluminum salt has very high adhesion performance to an image carrier, and the cleaving property of the layer is not sufficient, so that scraping unevenness can easily occur. On the contrary, it is considered that the magnesium salt has low adhesion performance and it is difficult to maintain the protective film. In addition, with regard to aluminum salt, the friction load on the cleaning blade is particularly large, and the blade is easily broken or turned up.

  The lithium salt, which is a monovalent metal salt, is a monovalent salt, so that it is difficult to form a layer and at the same time the polar part is exposed. In the case of a photoconductor, the image flow is greatly deteriorated.

<Fatty acid metal salt supply method and particle size>
The supply method to the image carrier is to contact a fur brush roller, which is a cleaning aid, with a lightly solidified fatty acid metal salt formed and scraped off by the rotation of the fur brush roller to be supplied onto the image carrier, or to the toner. Some are externally added and supplied from the developing device.

  In the present invention, the toner is supplied to the surface of the image carrier from the two directions of application from the supply member and contact in a state where the toner is carried on the toner.

  An example of a supply configuration when the fatty acid metal salt formed body is shaved will be described with reference to the cleaning device 107 in FIG. A cleaning blade 1071 is provided with a fur brush roller 1072 for assisting cleaning upstream of the image carrier contact position. A molded body 1073 containing a fatty acid metal salt is arranged on the left side of the fur brush roller 1072 so as to come into contact therewith. Further, a fatty acid metal salt pushing member 1074 is provided to push the fatty acid metal salt molded body toward the fur brush roller by the rotation of the gear. The amount scraped by the fur brush roller 1072 by the fatty acid metal salt pushing member 1074 can be controlled, and a desired amount of fatty acid metal salt particles is supplied to the image carrier surface 101.

  The particle size of the fatty acid metal salt particles obtained by scraping the molded product containing the fatty acid metal salt can vary depending on the hardness of the fatty acid metal salt molded product and the brush fiber diameter and strength of the fur brush roller, but the particle size distribution is broad. Prone. In addition, it is difficult to cut out only fine submicron particles. The enlarged photograph by the electron microscope of the fatty-acid metal salt at the time of cutting out from a fatty-acid metal salt molded object with the brush roller used by this invention is shown in FIG.

  Generally, when solidifying the fatty acid metal salt particles, heat is melted, poured into a mold, cooled and solidified to obtain a molded body. On the other hand, when the fatty acid metal salt particles having a sharp particle size distribution are molded by pressing at a light pressure, the fatty acid metal salt particles are supplied with a relatively sharp particle size distribution even at the time of cutting. This is preferable. Furthermore, it can supply with the particle size of the fatty acid metal salt particle before shaping | molding by making a shaping | molding pressure small enough.

  Further, by mixing other particles at the time of forming the fatty acid metal salt particles, the fatty acid metal salts can be prevented from aggregating and sticking together, and the fatty acid metal salt particles can be supplied to the surface of the image carrier in a loosened state. However, when other particles are mixed, the amount of mixing is preferably 30% by volume or less because the strength of the compact is reduced.

  Furthermore, in the present invention, as another method of supplying the fatty acid metal salt to the surface of the image carrier, a method of incorporating fatty acid metal salt particles into the toner is used. In this method, the toner reaches the cleaning portion in a state where the fatty acid metal salt is contained in the toner, and the toner is retained on the image carrier, thereby giving an opportunity to adhere the fatty acid metal salt to the surface of the image carrier. In order to contain the fatty acid metal salt particles in the toner, the fatty acid metal salt may be added externally or internally as long as the fatty acid metal salt is present in the vicinity of the toner surface. External addition is preferred. In order to externally add the fatty acid metal salt particles to the toner, an external addition step is performed in which the fatty acid metal salt particles are mixed with the toner particles in advance, and agitated by applying a load with a mixer. In the case of using the method of externally adding to the toner, it is necessary to adopt a configuration that is difficult to be released from the toner surface in the development process and the transfer process. In order to make it difficult to release, there is a method of increasing the mixing load at the time of external addition or using a particle having a small external additive particle size. When used with the same external addition strength as a general fluidity-imparting external additive such as silica or titania, the particle diameter of the fatty acid metal salt is preferably about 0.1 μm to 1.0 μm.

  Also, considering that the fatty acid metal salt particle size added externally to the toner is likely to accumulate in the developing device, it is preferable to add the particle size at the above level.

  FIG. 3 shows an enlarged photograph of a small-sized fatty acid metal salt particle suitable for external addition to the toner according to the present invention by an electron microscope.

<Method for measuring particle size of fatty acid metal salt>
Regarding the particle size of the fatty acid metal salt particles externally added to the toner, the surface of the toner particles is observed with an electron microscope at a magnification of about 30,000 to 50,000 times, and 100 fatty acid metal salt particles are selected at random. The particle size was measured and the average value was determined. The particle diameter was determined by (a + b) / 2, where a is the longest side of the two-dimensional projection image of the particle and b is the shortest side.

  Measurement of the volume-based median diameter (D50) of the fatty acid metal salt particles supplied to the image carrier upstream of the cleaning blade contact position and downstream of the transfer process is specifically as follows by observation of the particles with an electron microscope. Went to.

  (1) A small amount of particles just after being supplied to the surface of the image carrier are placed on the electron microscope observation sample stage so that the particles are separated one by one.

  (2) 100 particles capable of observing the scale thickness of the fatty acid metal salt particles are randomly selected from an electron microscope observation image, the thickness of the fatty acid metal salt particles is measured, and the average value is calculated.

  (3) A plurality of observation images of an electron microscope observation field of 25 μm × 25 μm are randomly selected so that the number of measured particles exceeds 500.

  (4) The volume and particle size of the fatty acid metal salt scale particles in the selected observation visual field and the number thereof are determined. The volume of the particles is obtained by measuring the area of the flat portion of the scale particles and then multiplying the measured area by the thickness average value of the particles obtained above to calculate the particle volume. The particle diameter is determined by (a + b) / 2, where a is the longest side of the planar portion of the particle and b is the shortest side.

  (5) The volume particle size distribution is obtained from the volume, particle size, and number data of the obtained particles, and the volume-based median diameter (D50) is calculated.

<Cuboid-shaped inorganic particles>
In the present invention, the rectangular parallelepiped inorganic particles are supplied to the cleaning unit together with the fatty acid metal salt particles. The enlarged photograph by the electron microscope of the rectangular parallelepiped inorganic particle concerning this invention is shown in FIG.

  Until now, various abrasive particles that suppress surface deterioration by rubbing and polishing the surface of an image carrier in an electrophotographic image forming method have been proposed. Among them, it has been found that rectangular parallelepiped inorganic particles having a particle size of about 0.03 μm to 0.5 μm are excellent in terms of the effect of scraping and cleaning the image flow-induced low-resistance substance such as discharge products. Even when the fatty acid metal salt protective film on the image bearing member is formed and the surface layer is scraped off as in the present invention, the polishing effect of the rectangular parallelepiped inorganic particles is high.

  In the present invention, by applying these abrasive particles to the image carrier surface together with small and large diameter fatty acid metal salt particles, the performance of applying and scraping the fatty acid metal salt at the cleaning blade contact portion can be improved. It is what I found.

  The optimum particle size at this time is preferably 0.1 μm to 0.4 μm. If the thickness is less than 0.1 μm, accumulation of rectangular parallelepiped inorganic particles with the blade is insufficient, and the scraping / blocking performance of the fatty acid metal salt becomes weak. When the thickness is larger than 0.4 μm, the protective film scraping of the fatty acid metal salt becomes rough, and the deteriorated protective film cannot be completely removed.

  Further, it is preferable that the particle size of the rectangular parallelepiped inorganic particles is somewhat smaller than that of the small-sized fatty acid metal salt particles externally added to the toner because the dense fatty acid protective film is not disturbed.

  The abrasive particles may be a general metal oxide, but it is a requirement for exhibiting sufficient ability in the present invention that they are rectangular parallelepiped abrasive particles. When the particle diameter is a rectangular parallelepiped shape, the effect of scraping off the ridgeline of the particle is high, and rolling due to the rotation of the particle is suppressed, so that a deposited layer is easily formed in the vicinity of the blade contact portion.

  The hardness of the inorganic particles does not greatly affect the effect that can be exhibited, but it is desirable that the Mohs hardness is 3 or more. If the Mohs hardness is less than 3, deformation or destruction of the particles may occur.

  As a specific rectangular parallelepiped shaped abrasive particle material, strontium titanate, barium titanate, calcium titanate, calcium carbonate, silicon nitride, and alumina are preferable, and strontium titanate and calcium carbonate are particularly preferable.

  In addition, about the particle size of the abrasive particle in this invention, 100 particle size was measured at random from the photograph image | photographed with the magnification of 50,000 times with the electron microscope, and the average value was calculated | required. The particle diameter was determined by (a + b) / 2, where a is the longest side of the primary particles and b is the shortest side.

<Image carrier surface layer deterioration inhibiting mechanism in the present invention>
Since the fatty acid metal salt film formed as described above has a layer structure and has a cleavage property, even when the outermost layer is deteriorated by electric discharge or deposits, the outermost layer can be easily scraped and the surface can be refreshed.

  In the electrophotographic process configuration, since a fine toner image is formed on the surface of the image carrier to be coated, it is desired to form a dense protective film with no unevenness and no gaps. If there is a gap, the discharge product easily enters the inside of the layer or the surface of the image carrier from the gap, and a sufficient surface layer refresh effect cannot be exhibited.

  Although it is conceivable to coat the coating layer sufficiently thick to fill the gap, not only the consumption of the fatty acid metal salt is increased, but the load on the member for spreading the coating is increased, and unevenness is likely to occur. It is not so preferable to do.

  In the present invention, the surface of the image bearing member is coated with large fatty acid metal salt particles in a large frame, but a uniform and dense protective film is formed by supplementing the gap by stably supplying smaller fatty acid metal salt particles. At that time, the fatty acid metal salt protective film can be uniformly scraped by using the rectangular parallelepiped abrasive particles together.

  The state of the uniform fatty acid metal salt film forming process in the cleaning unit will be described in detail below.

  The fatty acid metal salt supplied on the image carrier reaches the vicinity of the cleaning blade contact portion and is spread on the surface of the image carrier, but the large-diameter fatty acid metal salt deposition portion 504 is cleaned as shown in FIG. It remains on the upstream side of the blade contact portion and is applied to the surface of the image carrier. On the other hand, the small-diameter fatty acid metal salt is likely to enter a place closer to the blade contact portion. Therefore, the small-diameter fatty acid metal salt is easy to slip through the blade and does not stay in a state where it stably covers the surface of the image carrier. Since the small-diameter fatty acid metal salt is carried on the toner, it easily stays like 503 upstream of the blade contact portion, and the toner can be continuously supplied little by little by staying in the vicinity of the blade. Stable fatty acid metal salt coating. In addition, the fatty acid metal salt particles carried on the toner are less likely to aggregate with each other, and behave as loose particles, so that they easily enter fine depressions and scratches on the surface of the image carrier. On the other hand, the fatty acid metal salt supplied from the cleaning device is easy to aggregate and difficult to perform fine coating. Furthermore, the toner particle layer on which the small particle size fatty acid metal salt is supported has an appropriate fluidity and is less likely to be uneven because it contacts the surface of the image carrier, thereby forming a dense protective film. Conceivable.

  The rectangular parallelepiped inorganic particle diameter is smaller than that of the fatty acid metal salt particles, so that the inorganic particle particle layer 505 is formed at a position closest to the blade contact portion, and the fatty acid metal salt adhering to the image carrier is smoothed. -The blocking performance of fatty acid metal salt particles is increased.

  In the present invention, as the fatty acid metal salt for forming a protective film on the surface of the image carrier, fatty acid zinc and fatty acid calcium are used from the viewpoint of image blur prevention performance. Fatty acid zinc has higher image carrier covering performance than fatty acid calcium, but has a higher load on the cleaning blade. Therefore, by using fatty acid zinc and fatty acid calcium in combination, it is possible to obtain performance that achieves both protection performance of the image carrier and blade durability.

  Furthermore, in the present invention, the fatty acid metal salt having a small particle size externally added to the toner is made of fatty acid zinc, so that the performance of filling the gaps in the protective film is improved. On the other hand, the load of the cleaning blade can be reduced by using fatty acid calcium salt as a fatty acid metal salt supplied by a coating apparatus capable of securing a coating amount. By this combination, it is possible to construct a system that balances the protection of the image carrier by forming the protective film and the load of the cleaning blade.

<Image carrier>
An image carrier that is most effective when the present invention is applied or that is highly necessary to be applied is an image carrier that is resistant to wear and has high durability. This is because the high durability image carrier has a long life, but on the other hand, surface deterioration of the image carrier and adhesion of contaminants are likely to accumulate, and it is necessary to help refresh the surface of the image carrier.

  Examples of the image carrier to which the present invention can be applied include a photoreceptor and an intermediate transfer member. Among image bearing members, the photosensitive member that forms an electrostatic latent image by exposure has its surface lowered due to surface deterioration / contamination, and the electric charge diffuses, leading to image blurring and directly leading to fatal image defects. Therefore, the performance obtained when the present invention is applied is high.

<High durability photoconductor>
The electrophotographic photosensitive member having high durability that is preferably used in the present invention will be described in detail including the production method.

  The electrophotographic photoreceptor used in the present invention preferably has mainly a laminated structure, and a charge generation layer and a charge transport layer are provided in this order on a support, and a protective layer is provided on the outermost surface. Further, an undercoat layer for the purpose of preventing interference fringes or the like may be provided between the support and the charge generation layer.

  As the support, it is possible to use a support that itself has conductivity, such as aluminum, an aluminum alloy, or stainless steel. In addition, the above-mentioned support, plastic, conductive fine particles (for example, carbon black, tin oxide, titanium oxide and silver particles) having a layer formed by vacuum deposition of aluminum, aluminum alloy or indium oxide-tin oxide alloy, etc. A support in which plastic or paper is impregnated with a suitable binder resin, a plastic having a conductive binder resin, or the like can be used.

  Further, a binder layer (adhesive layer) having a barrier function and an adhesive function can be provided between the support and the photosensitive layer. The binder layer is used to improve the adhesion of the photosensitive layer, improve the coatability, protect the support, cover defects on the support, improve the charge injection from the support, and protect against electrical breakdown of the photosensitive layer. It is formed. The binder layer can be formed of casein, polyvinyl alcohol, ethyl cellulose, ethylene-acrylic acid copolymer, polyamide, modified polyamide, polyurethane, gelatin, aluminum oxide, or the like. The thickness of the binding layer is preferably 5 μm or less, and particularly preferably 0.1 to 3 μm.

  Examples of the charge generating substance include (1) azo pigments such as monoazo, disazo and trisazo, (2) phthalocyanine pigments such as metal phthalocyanine and nonmetal phthalocyanine, (3) indigo pigments such as indigo and thioindigo, (4) Perylene pigments such as perylene anhydride and perylene imide, (5) polycyclic quinone pigments such as anthraquinone and pyrenequinone, (6) squarylium dye, (7) pyrylium salt and thiapyrylium salt, (8) triphenylmethane (9) inorganic substances such as selenium, selenium-tellurium and amorphous silicon, (10) quinacridone pigment, (11) azulenium salt pigment, (12) cyanine dye, (13) xanthene dye, (14) quinoneimine dye, (15) styryl pigments It is.

  Examples of the binder resin used for the charge generation layer include polycarbonate resin, polyester resin, polyarylate resin, butyral resin, polystyrene resin, polyvinyl acetal resin, diallyl phthalate resin, acrylic resin, methacrylic resin, vinyl acetate resin, phenol resin, Examples thereof include, but are not limited to, silicone resins, polysulfone resins, styrene-butadiene copolymer resins, alkyd resins, epoxy resins, urea resins, and vinyl chloride-vinyl acetate copolymer resins. These can be used alone or as a mixture or as a copolymer polymer.

  The solvent used for the charge generation layer coating is selected from the solubility and dispersion stability of the resin used and the charge generation material, but examples of the organic solvent include alcohols, sulfoxides, ketones, ethers, esters, Aliphatic halogenated hydrocarbons or aromatic compounds can be used.

  The charge generation layer is well dispersed by a method such as a homogenizer, an ultrasonic wave, a ball mill, a sand mill, an attritor, or a roll mill, together with a binder resin and a solvent in an amount of 0.3 to 4 times on a mass basis. It is formed by coating and drying. The thickness is preferably 5 μm or less, particularly preferably in the range of 0.01 to 1 μm.

  In addition, various sensitizers, antioxidants, ultraviolet absorbers, plasticizers, and known charge generating substances can be added to the charge generation layer as necessary.

  The charge transport materials used include various triarylamine compounds, various hydrazone compounds, various styryl compounds, various stilbene compounds, various pyrazoline compounds, various oxazole compounds, various thiazole compounds, and various triarylmethane compounds. Compound etc. are mentioned.

  Examples of the binder resin used for forming the charge transport layer include acrylic resin, styrene resin, polyester, polycarbonate resin, polyarylate, polysulfone, polyphenylene oxide, epoxy resin, polyurethane resin, alkyd resin, and unsaturated resin. The resin chosen is preferred. Particularly preferred resins include polymethyl methacrylate, polystyrene, styrene-acrylonitrile copolymer, polycarbonate resin and diallyl phthalate resin.

  The charge transport layer is generally formed by dissolving the charge transport material and the binder resin in a solvent and applying them. The mixing ratio (mass ratio) of the charge transport material and the binder resin is about 2: 1 to 1: 2. Solvents include ketones such as acetone and methyl ethyl ketone, esters such as methyl acetate and ethyl acetate, aromatic hydrocarbons such as toluene and xylene, chlorinated hydrocarbons such as chlorobenzene, chloroform and carbon tetrachloride, tetrahydrofuran, Ethers such as dioxane are used. In applying this solution, for example, a coating method such as a dip coating method, a spray coating method, and a spinner coating method can be used.

  The charge transport layer is electrically connected to the above-described charge generation layer, receives charge carriers injected from the charge generation layer in the presence of an electric field, and transports these charge carriers to the interface with the protective layer. It has a function. Since this charge transport layer has a limit to transport charge carriers, the film thickness cannot be increased more than necessary. However, the thickness is preferably 5 to 40 μm, and more preferably 7 to 30 μm.

  Furthermore, an antioxidant, an ultraviolet absorber, a plasticizer, and a known charge transport material can be added to the charge transport layer as necessary.

  A highly durable organic photoreceptor is completed by applying and curing the protective layer on the charge transport layer to form a film.

  As a protective layer for a highly durable organic true photoreceptor, there is a protective layer containing a compound obtained by polymerizing a charge transporting compound having two or more chain polymerizable functional groups in the same molecule as represented by the following chemical formula.

In the formula, A represents a charge transporting group. P ¹ and P ^{2 each} represent a chain polymerizable functional group. P ¹ and P ² may be the same or different. Z represents an organic residue which may have a substituent. a, b, and d represent 0 or an integer of 1 or more, and a + b × d represents an integer of 2 or more. When a is 2 or more, P ¹ may be the same or different. When d is 2 or more, P ² may be the same or different. When b is 2 or more, Z and P ² are the same or different. May be.

  By polymerizing a charge transporting compound having two or more chain-polymerizable functional groups in the same molecule, the compound having a charge transporting ability is three-dimensionally cross-linked with at least two cross-linking points in the protective layer. It is incorporated into the structure via a covalent bond. The charge transporting compound can be either polymerized alone or mixed with a compound having another chain polymerizable group, and the type / ratio is arbitrary. As used herein, the compound having another chain polymerizable group includes any monomer or oligomer / polymer having a chain polymerizable group. When the functional group of the charge transporting compound and the functional group of the other chain polymerizable compound are the same group or a group that can be polymerized with each other, they may have a copolymerized three-dimensional crosslinked structure via a covalent bond. Is possible. When both functional groups are functional groups that do not polymerize with each other, the photosensitive layer is a mixture of at least two or more three-dimensional cured products or other chain-polymerizable compound monomers in the three-dimensional cured product as a main component. It is comprised as the thing containing the hardened | cured material.

  The protective layer can contain at least one selected from the group consisting of a fluorine atom-containing resin, a carbon fluoride, and a polyolefin resin as a lubricant. The following are mentioned as the preferable compound.

  Preferred as the fluorine atom-containing resin is a polymer or copolymer resin of a compound selected from vinyl fluoride, vinylidene fluoride, chlorotrifluoroethylene, tetrafluoroethylene, hexafluoropropylene, perfluoropropylene, perfluoroalkyl vinyl ether, and Examples include resin fine particles.

Examples of the carbon fluoride include compounds represented by (CF) n and (C ₂ F) n.

  Preferred examples of the polyolefin resin include homopolymer resins such as polyethylene resin, polypropylene resin and polybutene resin, copolymer resins such as ethylene-propylene copolymer and ethylene-butene copolymer, and resin powder. These lubricants can be used alone or in combination of two or more at any ratio. The protective layer may contain a dispersant for the lubricant, a dispersion aid, other various additives, a surfactant, and the like.

  The ratio of the lubricant to be contained in the protective layer is preferably 1 to 70%, more preferably 5 to 30% in the present invention, with respect to the total mass of the layer serving as the surface layer.

  It is also possible to contain a charge transport material in the protective layer containing the cured product of the charge transport compound having the chain polymerizable group.

  In general, the protective layer is formed by applying a solution containing the charge transporting compound and then carrying out a polymerization reaction, but a solution containing the charge transporting compound is reacted in advance to obtain a cured product. After that, the protective layer can be formed by dispersing or dissolving in the solvent again. As a method for applying these solutions, for example, a dip coating method, a spray coating method, a curtain coating method, a spin coating method, and the like are known, but the dip coating method is preferable from the viewpoint of efficiency / productivity.

  The charge transporting compound having a chain polymerizable group is preferably polymerized by radiation. The greatest advantage of polymerization by radiation is that a polymerization initiator is not required, which makes it possible to produce a very high-purity three-dimensional photosensitive layer and to ensure good electrophotographic characteristics. In addition, because it is a short and efficient polymerization reaction, it is highly productive, and because of its high radiation permeability, it inhibits curing when thick films and additives such as additives are present in the film. The influence of the is very small. However, depending on the type of the chain polymerizable group and the type of the central skeleton, the polymerization reaction may not easily proceed, and in this case, it is possible to add a polymerization initiator within a range that does not affect the reaction. The radiation used at this time is an electron beam and a gamma ray. In the case of electron beam irradiation, any type of accelerator such as a scanning type, an electro curtain type, a broad beam type, a pulse type, and a laminar type can be used. When irradiating with an electron beam, the irradiation conditions are very important in the photoreceptor of the present invention in order to develop electric characteristics and durability. In the present invention, the acceleration voltage is preferably 250 kV or less, and optimally 150 kV or less. The dose is preferably in the range of 10 kGy to 1000 kGy. When the accelerating voltage exceeds the above, the electron beam irradiation damage tends to increase on the characteristics of the photoreceptor. Further, when the dose is less than the above range, the curing tends to be insufficient, and when the dose is large, the photoreceptor characteristics are likely to be deteriorated.

<Developer>
The toner particles used in the present invention may be produced by any method, but a production method of granulating in an aqueous medium such as a suspension polymerization method, an emulsion polymerization method, or a suspension granulation method. It is preferable to obtain by. Hereinafter, the most preferable suspension polymerization method for obtaining the toner particles used in the present invention will be described as an example to describe the method for producing the toner.

  The binder resin, colorant, wax component and other additives as required are uniformly dissolved or dispersed by a disperser such as a homogenizer, ball mill, colloid mill, ultrasonic disperser, etc. Is dissolved to prepare a polymerizable monomer composition. Next, toner particles are produced by suspending the polymerizable monomer composition in an aqueous medium containing a dispersion stabilizer and performing polymerization.

  The polymerization initiator may be added simultaneously with the addition of other additives to the polymerizable monomer, or may be mixed immediately before being suspended in the aqueous medium. Also, a polymerization initiator dissolved in a polymerizable monomer or solvent can be added immediately after granulation and before starting the polymerization reaction.

  Examples of the binder resin for the toner include commonly used styrene-acrylic copolymers, styrene-methacrylic copolymers, epoxy resins, and styrene-butadiene copolymers. As the polymerizable monomer, a vinyl polymerizable monomer capable of radical polymerization can be used. As the vinyl polymerizable monomer, a monofunctional polymerizable monomer or a polyfunctional polymerizable monomer can be used.

  The following are mentioned as a polymerizable monomer for producing | generating a binder resin. Styrene; Styrenic monomers such as o- (m-, p-) methylstyrene, m- (p-) ethylstyrene; methyl acrylate, methyl methacrylate, ethyl acrylate, ethyl methacrylate, propyl acrylate, Propyl methacrylate, butyl acrylate, butyl methacrylate, octyl acrylate, octyl methacrylate, dodecyl acrylate, dodecyl methacrylate, stearyl acrylate, stearyl methacrylate, behenyl acrylate, behenyl methacrylate, 2-ethylhexyl acrylate, Acrylic acid ester monomers such as 2-ethylhexyl methacrylate, dimethylaminoethyl acrylate, dimethylaminoethyl methacrylate, diethylaminoethyl acrylate and diethylaminoethyl methacrylate, Ether-based monomers; butadiene, isoprene, cyclohexene, acrylonitrile, methacrylonitrile, acrylic acid amide, such as ene-based monomers methacrylamide.

  These polymerizable monomers are used alone or in general, and have a theoretical glass transition temperature (Tg) of 40 to 75 ° C. described in Publication Polymer Handbook 2nd edition III-p139 to 192 (manufactured by John Wiley & Sons). As shown, a polymerizable monomer is appropriately mixed and used. If the theoretical glass transition temperature is less than 40 ° C., problems are likely to occur from the viewpoint of storage stability and durability stability of the toner, while if it exceeds 75 ° C., the fixability is lowered.

  In the case of producing toner particles, it is a preferable example to add a low molecular weight polymer so that the THF soluble content of the toner has a preferable molecular weight distribution. The low molecular weight polymer can be added to the polymerizable monomer composition when toner particles are produced by suspension polymerization. The low molecular weight polymer has a weight average molecular weight (Mw) measured by gel permeation chromatography (GPC) in the range of 2,000 to 5,000, and Mw / Mn of less than 4.5, preferably Those of less than 3.0 are preferred in terms of fixability and developability.

  Examples of the low molecular weight polymer include low molecular weight polystyrene, low molecular weight styrene-acrylic acid ester copolymer, and low molecular weight styrene-acrylic copolymer.

  It is preferable to use together with the above-mentioned binder resin a polar resin having a carboxyl group such as a polyester resin or a polycarbonate resin.

  For example, when the toner particles are directly produced by the suspension polymerization method, a polar resin may be added from the dispersion step to the polymerization step. As a result, the polymerizable monomer composition used as the toner particles and the polar resin added according to the balance of the polarity exhibited by the aqueous dispersion medium form a thin layer on the toner particle surface, or tilt from the toner particle surface toward the center. The presence state of the polar resin can be controlled so as to exist with good properties. That is, the addition of the polar resin can reinforce the shell part of the core-shell structure, so that it becomes easy to optimize the micro compression hardness, and the toner of the present invention can achieve both developability and fixability. It becomes easy to do.

  A preferable addition amount of the polar resin is 1 to 25 parts by mass, and more preferably 2 to 15 parts by mass with respect to 100 parts by mass of the binder resin. If the amount is less than 1 part by mass, the presence state of the polar resin in the toner particles tends to be non-uniform. On the other hand, if it exceeds 25 parts by mass, the layer of the polar resin formed on the surface of the toner particles becomes thick.

  Examples of the polar resin include polyester resin, epoxy resin, styrene-acrylic acid copolymer, styrene-methacrylic acid copolymer, and styrene-maleic acid copolymer. A polyester resin is particularly preferable, and the acid value is preferably in the range of 4 to 20 mgKOH / g. When the acid value is less than 4 mgKOH / g, it is difficult to form a shell structure, and the rise of charging is slow, which tends to cause problems such as a decrease in image density and fogging. When the acid value exceeds 20 mgKOH / g, the chargeability is affected and the developability tends to deteriorate. The molecular weight of 3,000 to 30,000 is preferably a main peak molecular weight because the fluidity and negative frictional charging characteristics of the toner particles can be improved.

  In order to increase the mechanical strength of the toner particles and control the molecular weight of the THF soluble component of the toner, a crosslinking agent may be used when the binder resin is synthesized.

  Examples of the bifunctional crosslinking agent include the following. Divinylbenzene, bis (4-acryloxypolyethoxyphenyl) propane, ethylene glycol diacrylate, 1,3-butylene glycol diacrylate, 1,4-butanediol diacrylate, 1,5-pentanediol diacrylate, 1,6 -Hexanediol diacrylate, neopentyl glycol diacrylate, diethylene glycol diacrylate, triethylene glycol diacrylate, tetraethylene glycol diacrylate, and those obtained by replacing the above diacrylate with dimethacrylate.

  The following are mentioned as a polyfunctional crosslinking agent. Pentaerythritol triacrylate, trimethylolethane triacrylate, trimethylolpropane triacrylate, tetramethylolmethane tetraacrylate, oligoester acrylate and methacrylate thereof.

  The addition amount of these crosslinking agents is preferably 0.05 to 10 parts by mass, more preferably 0.1 to 5 parts by mass with respect to 100 parts by mass of the polymerizable monomer.

  The following are mentioned as a polymerization initiator. 2,2′-azobis- (2,4-dimethylvaleronitrile), 2,2′-azobisisobutyronitrile, 1,1′-azobis (cyclohexane-1-carbonitrile), 2,2′-azobis Azo or diazo polymerization initiators such as -4-methoxy-2,4-dimethylvaleronitrile, azobisisobutyronitrile; benzoyl peroxide, methyl ethyl ketone peroxide, diisopropyl peroxycarbonate, cumene hydroperoxide, 2,4-dichlorobenzoyl Peroxide-based polymerization initiators such as peroxide, lauroyl peroxide, tert-butyl-peroxypivalate.

  The amount of these polymerization initiators to be used varies depending on the target degree of polymerization, but is generally 3 to 20 parts by mass with respect to 100 parts by mass of the polymerizable vinyl monomer. The kind of the polymerization initiator varies slightly depending on the polymerization method, but is used alone or in combination with reference to the 10-hour half-life temperature.

  The toner of the present invention contains a colorant as an essential component in order to impart coloring power. Examples of the colorant preferably used in the present invention include the following organic pigments, organic dyes, and inorganic pigments.

  Examples of organic pigments or organic dyes as cyan colorants include copper phthalocyanine compounds and derivatives thereof, anthraquinone compounds, and basic dye lake compounds.

  Examples of the organic pigment or organic dye as the magenta colorant include the following. Condensed azo compounds, diketopyrrolopyrrole compounds, anthraquinones, quinacridone compounds, basic dye lake compounds, naphthol compounds, benzimidazolone compounds, thioindigo compounds, perylene compounds.

  Examples of the organic pigment or organic dye as the yellow colorant include compounds typified by condensed azo compounds, isoindolinone compounds, anthraquinone compounds, azo metal complexes, methine compounds, and allylamide compounds.

  Examples of the black colorant include carbon black and those prepared by using the above yellow colorant / magenta colorant / cyan colorant to black.

  These colorants can be used alone or in combination and further in the form of a solid solution. The colorant used in the toner of the present invention is selected from the viewpoints of hue angle, saturation, brightness, light resistance, OHP transparency, and dispersibility in the toner.

  The colorant is preferably used by adding 1 to 20 parts by mass with respect to 100 parts by mass of the polymerizable monomer or binder resin.

  As the dispersion stabilizer used when preparing the aqueous medium, known inorganic and organic dispersion stabilizers can be used. Specifically, the following are mentioned as an example of an inorganic dispersion stabilizer. Tricalcium phosphate, magnesium phosphate, aluminum phosphate, zinc phosphate, magnesium carbonate, calcium carbonate, calcium hydroxide, magnesium hydroxide, aluminum hydroxide, calcium metasilicate, calcium sulfate, barium sulfate, bentonite. Examples of the organic dispersant include the following. Polyvinyl alcohol, gelatin, methyl cellulose, methyl hydroxypropyl cellulose, ethyl cellulose.

  Commercially available nonionic, anionic and cationic surfactants can also be used. Examples of such surfactants include the following. Sodium dodecyl sulfate, sodium tetradecyl sulfate, sodium pentadecyl sulfate, sodium octyl sulfate, sodium oleate, sodium laurate, potassium stearate, calcium oleate.

  As the dispersion stabilizer used at the time of preparing the aqueous medium, an inorganic poorly water-soluble dispersion stabilizer is preferable, and it is preferable to use a poorly water-soluble inorganic dispersion stabilizer that is soluble in an acid.

  Further, when preparing an aqueous medium using a hardly water-soluble inorganic dispersion stabilizer, the amount of these dispersion stabilizers used is 0.2 to 2.0 parts by mass with respect to 100 parts by mass of the polymerizable monomer. It is preferable that In the present invention, it is preferable to prepare an aqueous medium using 300 to 3,000 parts by mass of water with respect to 100 parts by mass of the polymerizable monomer composition.

  In the toner, if necessary, a charge control agent can be mixed with toner particles and used. By adding a charge control agent, the charge characteristics can be stabilized, and the optimum triboelectric charge amount can be controlled according to the development system.

  As the charge control agent, a known one can be used, and a charge control agent that has a high charging speed and can stably maintain a constant charge amount is particularly preferable. Further, when the toner particles are produced by a direct polymerization method, a charge control agent having a low polymerization inhibition property and substantially free from a solubilized product in an aqueous medium is particularly preferable.

  Examples of the charge control agent that control the toner to be negatively charged include the following. Organic metal compounds and chelate compounds are effective, and monoazo metal compounds, acetylacetone metal compounds, aromatic oxycarboxylic acids, aromatic dicarboxylic acids, oxycarboxylic acids, and dicarboxylic acid-based metal compounds. Other examples include aromatic oxycarboxylic acids, aromatic mono- and polycarboxylic acids and metal salts thereof, anhydrides, esters, and phenol derivatives such as bisphenol. Further examples include urea derivatives, metal-containing salicylic acid compounds, metal-containing naphthoic acid compounds, boron compounds, quaternary ammonium salts, calixarene, and resin charge control agents.

  Examples of the charge control agent that controls the toner to be positively charged include the following. Nigrosine-modified products such as nigrosine and fatty acid metal salts; guanidine compounds; imidazole compounds; quaternary ammonium salts such as tributylbenzylammonium-1-hydroxy-4-naphthosulfonate, tetrabutylammonium tetrafluoroborate, resin system charge control Agent.

  These charge control agents can be contained alone or in combination of two or more. A preferable blending amount of the charge control agent is 0.01 to 20 parts by mass, more preferably 0.5 to 10 parts by mass with respect to 100 parts by mass of the polymerizable monomer or binder resin.

  As a mixer used for the additive mixing step, an existing high-speed stirring mixer such as a Henschel mixer or a super mixer can be used.

  It is essential that the toner of the present invention contains fatty acid zinc or fatty acid calcium having a median diameter (D50) on a volume basis of 0.1 μm or more and 0.5 μm or less, and further, other additives are added. It may be. Examples of the additive include fine powder such as silica fine powder, titanium oxide fine powder, or double oxide fine powder thereof. Among the inorganic fine powders, silica fine powder and titanium oxide fine powder are preferable.

Examples of the silica fine powder include dry silica or fumed silica produced by vapor phase oxidation of silicon halide, and wet silica produced from water glass. As the inorganic fine powder, dry silica having less silanol groups on the surface and inside the silica fine powder and less Na ₂ O and SO ₃ ²⁻ is preferable. The dry silica may be a composite fine powder of silica and another metal oxide by using a metal halogen compound such as aluminum chloride or titanium chloride together with a silicon halogen compound in the production process.

  The inorganic fine powder is added to the toner particles in order to improve the fluidity of the toner and make the toner particles uniformly charged. By hydrophobizing the inorganic fine powder, it is possible to adjust the charge amount of the toner, improve the environmental stability, and improve the characteristics in a high-humidity environment. It is preferable to use it.

  Treatment agents for hydrophobizing inorganic fine powder include unmodified silicone varnish, various modified silicone varnishes, unmodified silicone oil, various modified silicone oils, silane compounds, silane coupling agents, other organosilicon compounds, organic A titanium compound is mentioned.

  The developing method using the toner of the present invention is not particularly limited. For example, a two-component developing method using a nonmagnetic toner manufactured by the above manufacturing method mixed with a carrier, a nonmagnetic one using only a nonmagnetic toner without using a carrier. Examples thereof include a component development method and magnetic one-component development using a magnetic toner.

<Examples of rectangular parallelepiped inorganic particles>
The hydrous titanium oxide slurry obtained by hydrolyzing the aqueous titanyl sulfate solution was washed with an alkaline aqueous solution. Next, hydrochloric acid was added to the hydrous titanium oxide slurry to adjust the pH to 0.65 to obtain a titania sol dispersion. NaOH was added to the titania sol dispersion, the pH of the dispersion was adjusted to 4.5, and washing was repeated until the electrical conductivity of the supernatant reached 70 μS / cm. 0.97-fold molar amount of Sr (OH) ₂ .8H ₂ O was added to the hydrous titanium oxide, and the mixture was placed in a SUS reaction vessel and purged with nitrogen gas. Further, distilled water was added so as to be 0.1 mol / liter or more and 2.0 mol / liter or less in terms of SrTiO ₃ . The slurry was heated to 83 ° C. at 1 to 25 ° C./hour in a nitrogen atmosphere, and after reaching 83 ° C., the reaction was performed for 3 to 7 hours. After the reaction, the mixture was cooled to room temperature, the supernatant was removed, and washing was repeated with pure water. The slurry was filtered through the slurry Nutsche, and the obtained cake was dried to obtain strontium titanate.

  Various strontium titanates a to e having different average particle diameters were obtained by changing the temperature increase rate and reaction time of the slurry.

  Further, for comparison, amorphous strontium titanate having no rectangular parallelepiped shape was also produced. Strontium titanate a was sintered at 1000 ° C. and then pulverized until the primary average particle size became 0.15 μm to obtain strontium titanate particles g. Furthermore, strontium carbonate (Brillant-15) manufactured by Shiroishi Kogyo Co., Ltd. was prepared as a rectangular parallelepiped inorganic abrasive particle.

  The rectangular parallelepiped inorganic particles used in these inventive examples are shown in Table 1.

<Examples of fatty acid metal salt particle production>
A container with a heater and a stirring device was prepared, and the stirring blade was rotated at 500 rpm. Into this vessel, an aqueous solution of 0.08 to 15% sodium stearate at 80 ° C. and an aqueous solution of 0.03 to 6% zinc sulfate at 80 ° C. were simultaneously charged and reacted at 80 ° C. for 5 minutes. Thereafter, the metal soap cake obtained by filtering the reaction solution was washed three times with a 1: 1 water / ethanol mixed solvent, and then dried in an oven at 80 ° C. to make fatty acid metal salt particles z-1 to z- of zinc stearate. 13 was obtained.

  Instead of the zinc sulfate aqueous solution, an aqueous calcium chloride solution of 0.5 to 6% was used, and the same operation as above was performed to obtain fatty acid metal salt particles c-1 to c-17 of calcium stearate. The average particle diameters of the obtained zinc stearate particles and calcium stearate particles are shown in Tables 2 and 3.

<Fatty acid metal salt-abrasive particle molded body production example>
For each of the fatty acid zinc particles and the fatty acid calcium particles obtained as described above, inorganic abrasive particles were mixed and stirred in a mortar so as to be 0.1 to 25% by volume of the molded body. The volume was calculated from the true specific gravity of the particles, and was weighed and mixed so that the desired volume% was obtained. Subsequently, the mixed particles were put into a rod-shaped mold and pressed with a press to obtain a fatty acid metal salt molded body. Press machine pressurization was performed at a light pressure of 10 kg / cm ² or less so that the particle diameter of the fatty acid metal salt particles scraped off by the brush was the same as that of the fatty acid metal salt particles before molding.

  The obtained fatty acid metal salt molded bodies m-1 to m-29 are shown in Table 4.

<Example of toner production>
With respect to 100 parts by mass of the styrene monomer, C.I. I. 16.5 parts by mass of Pigment Blue 15: 3 and 2.0 parts by mass of an aluminum compound of 3,5-di-tert-butylsalicylic acid [Bontron E88 (manufactured by Orient Chemical Co., Ltd.)] were prepared. These were introduced into an attritor (manufactured by Mitsui Mining Co., Ltd.) and stirred at 200 rpm for 180 minutes at 200 rpm using zirconia beads (140 parts by mass) with a radius of 1.25 mm to prepare a master batch dispersion.

On the other hand, 450 parts by mass of 0.1 M Na ₃ PO ₄ aqueous solution was added to 710 parts by mass of ion-exchanged water and heated to 60 ° C., and then 68 parts by mass of 1.0 M CaCl ₂ aqueous solution was gradually added to the calcium phosphate compound. An aqueous medium containing was obtained.

・ Master batch dispersion 40 parts by mass ・ Styrene monomer 30 parts by mass ・ N-butyl acrylate monomer 18 parts by mass ・ Low molecular weight polystyrene 20 parts by mass ・ Hydrocarbon wax 9 parts by mass ・ Polyester resin 5 parts by mass Was heated to 65 ° C., and uniformly dissolved and dispersed at 5,000 rpm using a TK homomixer (manufactured by Tokushu Kika Kogyo Co., Ltd.). In this, 7.0 parts by mass of a 70% toluene solution of a polymerization initiator 1,1,3,3-tetramethylbutylperoxy 2-ethylhexanoate was dissolved to prepare a polymerizable monomer composition.

The polymerizable monomer composition is charged into the aqueous medium, and stirred at 10,000 rpm for 10 minutes with a TK homomixer in a N ₂ atmosphere at a temperature of 65 ° C. to prepare a polymerizable monomer composition. Grained. Thereafter, the temperature was raised to 67 ° C. while stirring with a paddle stirring blade. When the polymerization conversion rate of the polymerizable vinyl monomer reached 90%, a 0.1 mol / liter sodium hydroxide aqueous solution was added. The pH of the aqueous dispersion medium was adjusted to 9. Furthermore, it heated up at 80 degreeC with the temperature increase rate of 40 degreeC / h, and was made to react for 4 hours. After completion of the polymerization reaction, the residual monomer in the toner particles was distilled off under reduced pressure. After cooling the aqueous medium, hydrochloric acid was added to adjust the pH to 1.4, and the mixture was stirred for 6 hours to dissolve the calcium phosphate salt. The toner particles were separated by filtration and washed with water, and then dried at a temperature of 40 ° C. for 48 hours to obtain cyan toner particles.

To 100 parts by mass of toner particles, 100 parts by mass of silica, 1.5 parts by mass of hydrophobic silica (BET = 220 m ^{2 /} g) surface-treated with 20 parts by mass of dimethyl silicone oil, and fatty acid metal salt particles were added to Henschel mixer FM10B. Thus, toners t-1 to t-16 were obtained by external addition under conditions of a rotational speed of 66S-1 and a time of 2 minutes. Table 5 shows an external additive formulation of fatty acid metal salt particles of the obtained toner.

<Example of carrier production>
In this example and comparative example, a resin-coated ferrite carrier was produced by the following method in order to perform two-component development with toner and carrier.
Thermosetting resin: Thermosetting phenol resin (Curing temperature: 120 ° C)
Thermoplastic resin: phenol novolac resin (softening point: 160 ° C)

The two types of thermosetting resins and thermoplastic resins were mixed as solids at a ratio of 30 parts by mass and 70 parts by mass, respectively, and then diluted with a methyl cellosolve solution to prepare a 10% by mass coating resin solution. This coating resin solution was spray-coated on 1.5 kg of spherical ferrite particles having an average particle diameter of 40 μm and a saturation magnetization of 20 emu / g using a fluidized bed coating apparatus. At this time, the blowing temperature to the fluidized bed chamber was set to 40 ° C. Further, the rotation speed of the stirring blade at this time is 450 rpm, the spraying conditions are an air pressure to the spray nozzle of 3.4 kg / cm ² , a flow rate of 48 l / min, and a coating resin solution supply rate of 8.0 ml / min. I went there. After spraying, the obtained carrier was held in a fluidized bed room at a temperature of 140 ° C. for 20 minutes to cure the thermosetting resin, thereby obtaining a resin-coated carrier.

<Example of photoconductor production>
Using an aluminum cylinder (JIS A3003 aluminum alloy) having a length of 260.5 mm and a diameter of 30 mm as a support, a 5% by mass methanol solution of polyamide resin (trade name: Amilan CM8000, manufactured by Toray Industries, Inc.) was applied thereon by a dipping method. An undercoat layer having a thickness of 0.5 μm was formed.

  Next, 3 parts by mass of a crystal of hydroxygallium phthalocyanine having a diffraction peak 2θ ± 0.2 having the strongest peak at 28.1 ° in X-ray diffraction of CuKα as a charge generation material and 2 parts by mass of polyvinyl butyral are added to 100 parts by mass of cyclohexanone. The mixture was dispersed in a sand mill using 1 mmφ glass beads for 1 hour, and 100 parts by mass of methyl ethyl ketone was added thereto and diluted to prepare a charge generation layer coating material. The charge generation layer coating material was dip-coated on the undercoat layer and dried at 90 ° C. for 10 minutes to form a charge generation layer having a thickness of 0.17 μm.

  Subsequently, 7 parts by mass of the charge transport material compound represented by the following formula

及びポリカーボネート樹脂（ユーピロンＺ４００、三菱エンジニアリングプラスチックス（株）社製）１０質量部を、モノクロロベンゼン１０５質量部及びジクロロメタン３５質量部に溶解した。この溶液を、前記電荷発生層上に浸漬塗布し、１１０℃で１時間熱風乾燥し、膜厚が１３μｍの電荷輸送層を形成した。電荷輸送層の上にさらに保護層を形成させた。

And 10 parts by mass of polycarbonate resin (Iupilon Z400, manufactured by Mitsubishi Engineering Plastics Co., Ltd.) were dissolved in 105 parts by mass of monochlorobenzene and 35 parts by mass of dichloromethane. This solution was dip-coated on the charge generation layer and dried with hot air at 110 ° C. for 1 hour to form a charge transport layer having a thickness of 13 μm. A protective layer was further formed on the charge transport layer.

  In this embodiment, reversal development is used, and the photoreceptor is formed by superposing three layers on an aluminum cylinder having a diameter of 30 mm as described above, and then polymerizing a charge transporting compound of the following chemical formula as a surface protective layer by electron beam irradiation. An organic photoreceptor having a surface layer containing the above compound applied and cured.

  45 parts by mass of this charge transporting compound is dissolved in 55 parts by mass of n-propyl alcohol, and 5 parts by mass of tetrafluoroethylene fine particles (PTFE) are added, and a high-pressure disperser (microfluidizer, manufactured by Microfluidics) is used. A dispersed coating for the surface protective layer was prepared. After applying this paint on the four-layer photoconductor, an electron beam was irradiated under the conditions of an acceleration voltage of 150 kV and a dose of 100 kGy to form a protective layer having a thickness of 4 μm to obtain an electrophotographic photoconductor.

<Image forming apparatus body>
In the image forming example to which the method of the present invention was applied, a Canon digital copying machine iR400 (process speed: 210 mm / s) modified to the following conditions was used.
Charging: Contact roller charging, AC bias superposition,
(Set so that the AC discharge current is 200 μA)
Development: Two-component developer Aluminum 20φ developing sleeve (magnet roller fixed inclusion)
Development roller peripheral speed vs. drum 180% forward rotation Cleaning:
Fiber diameter 40μm 14φ Fur brush roller auxiliary, 150% counter rotation against drum Installed fatty acid metal salt-abrasive particle compact in fur brush contact device

  Using this Canon digital copying machine iR400 remodeling machine and carrier, photoconductor, toner t-1 to t-16, fatty acid metal salt-abrasive particle compact m-1 to m-29 prepared as described above did. The image formation evaluation of Examples 1 to 35 and Comparative Examples 1 to 7 was performed by changing the combination of the toner and the molded body.

  Evaluation was performed according to the following evaluation criteria.

・ Image flow 1
The evaluation environment is 22 ° C. and 70% RH. As the image formation pattern, a horizontal ruled line chart with an image ratio of 2% was read by a scanner and output. One-dot, two-space horizontal ruled line images that had been left for 12 hours after being endured for 100,000 sheets intermittently were evaluated by comparing them with images at 22 ° C. and 5 environments. (Passed above D rank)
A: No narrowing of ruled line width (good image quality)
B: Thinning of ruled line width is less than 10% (visual image quality is good)
C: Ruled line width narrower 10% or more and less than 30% (appearance of image quality is almost good)
D: Ruled line width narrower 30% or more and less than 50% (Appearance is a little bad but acceptable level)
E: Thinning of ruled line width is 50% or more (image quality is bad at first glance)

・ Image flow 2
The evaluation environment is 32.5 ° C. and 85% RH. As the image formation pattern, a horizontal ruled line chart with an image ratio of 2% was read by a scanner and output. One-dot, two-space horizontal ruled line images that had been left for 12 hours after being endured for 100,000 sheets intermittently were evaluated by comparing them with images at 22 ° C. and 5 environments. (Passed above D rank)
A: No narrowing of ruled line width (good image quality)
B: Thinning of ruled line width is less than 10% (visual image quality is good)
C: Ruled line width narrower 10% or more and less than 30% (appearance of image quality is almost good)
D: Ruled line width narrower 30% or more and less than 50% (Appearance is a little bad but acceptable level)
E: Thinning of ruled line width is 50% or more (image quality is bad at first glance)

・ Durability of the cleaning blade In the high temperature and high humidity environment (32.5 ° C, 85% RH), the 1% ratio horizontal ruled line image (A4) will endure the actual paper and the edge of the cleaning blade will be worn or damaged. The number of durable sheets that would cause a cleaning failure was evaluated. (Passed above D rank)
A: No problem with 300,000 sheets or more B: Generated with 200,000 or more and less than 300,000 sheets C: Generated with 100,000 or more and less than 200,000 sheets D: Generated with 10,000 or more and less than 100,000 sheets E: Less than 10,000 sheets It is necessary to change parts frequently.

-Toner cleaning property In a low-humidity environment (23 ° C, 5% RH), A4 full surface continuous images were evaluated for continuous 1000 sheets, and cleaning performance was evaluated. (Passed C rank or higher)
A: No cleaning failure, good charging roller smudge B: No cleaning poor image, charging roller toner smudge C: Vertical line generated by toner blade slipping over 50 to less than 1000 sheets D: Toner on image with less than 50 sheets Of vertical lines due to slipping through blades

・ Transferability Image is printed in the same environment using a photoconductor and new toner / developer after endurance of paper in a high temperature and high humidity environment (30 ℃ 80% RH), and the amount of toner on the drum The transfer efficiency was calculated from the amount of toner on the paper. (Passed B rank or higher)
A: Transfer efficiency of 90% or more B: Transfer efficiency of 80% or more and less than 90% C: Transfer efficiency of less than 80% and image quality deterioration is easily recognized

-Development durability An image was output using a toner / developer after durability and a new photoconductor after enduring 10,000 sheets in a high-temperature and high-humidity environment (30 ° C, 80% RH). The reflection density of the solid portion of the output image was measured with a Macbeth reflection densitometer and compared with the reflection density when developed with a new toner / new developer. (Passed B rank or higher)
A: The decrease in the reflection density of the solid image is less than 0.3 B: The decrease in the reflection density of the solid image is 0.3 or more and less than 0.4 C: The solid reflection density decreases by 0.4 or more, and the density is clearly reduced. Recognize

  The evaluation results are shown in Tables 6 to 11.

  As shown in Examples 1 to 10 in Table 6, fatty acid zinc particles or fatty acid calcium particles having a volume-based median diameter (D50) of 1.0 to 10.0 μm, and a number average particle diameter of 0.1 to 0.00. By using toner containing 4 μm rectangular parallelepiped inorganic particles supplied to the surface of the image carrier and containing fatty acid zinc or fatty acid calcium particles having a number average particle size of 0.1 to 0.5 μm, image flow can be suppressed.

  Further, as shown in Examples 2 to 4, 6 to 10, fatty acid zinc particles or fatty acid calcium particles supplied to the image carrier at a position upstream of the contact portion between the clean blade and the image carrier and downstream of the transfer portion When the volume average particle size is 3.0 to 8.0 μm, the image flow suppression performance is high even in a higher temperature and humidity environment.

  As shown in Examples 3, 6, and 36 of Table 7, the number average particle diameter Da (μm) of the fatty acid zinc particles or the fatty acid calcium particles contained in the toner and the number average particle diameter Dc (μm) of the rectangular parallelepiped inorganic particles. ), A high toner cleaning performance can be exhibited by satisfying “1.5 ≦ Da / Dc ≦ 3”.

  As shown in Examples 13, 16, and 17 of Table 8, when the mixing ratio of the rectangular parallelepiped inorganic particles to the fatty acid metal salt in the mixture is 0.2 to 20% by volume, the image stream is more stable. Preventive performance can be demonstrated.

  As shown in Examples 3, 20, and 21 of Table 9, the content (external addition amount) of fatty acid zinc particles or fatty acid calcium particles contained in the toner is 0.05 to 100 parts by mass with respect to 100 parts by mass of the toner particles. When the content is 0.5 part by mass, both the image blur prevention performance and the developability can be achieved.

  As shown in Examples 28 to 30 in Table 10, the main component of the fatty acid metal salt particles contained in the toner is fatty acid zinc particles, upstream of the contact portion between the clean blade and the image carrier and downstream of the transfer portion. When the main component of the fatty acid metal salt particles supplied to the image carrier at the position is the fatty acid calcium particles, it is possible to achieve both the image flow inhibiting performance and the blade durability.

  As shown in Examples 34 and 35 in Table 11, when the fatty acid of the fatty acid metal salt particles supplied from the molded product to the image carrier is a higher fatty acid having 16 or more carbon atoms, an effect can be exerted by image flow. .

  As can be seen from the comparison between Examples 3 and 35 and Examples 31 to 34, when the fatty acid portion of the fatty acid metal salt particles supplied from the molded body to the image carrier is stearic acid or hydroxystearic acid, The durability of the cleaning blade is further improved while suppressing the image flow.

  As described above, by supplying fatty acid zinc or fatty acid calcium and cuboid-shaped inorganic particles to the surface of the photoreceptor, and containing the small-diameter fatty acid zinc or fatty acid calcium in the toner, the surface of the image carrier is densely coated and protected. And good image formation with little deterioration in image quality can be performed.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 101 Photoconductor, 102 Charging roller, 103 Exposure means, 104 Developing device, 105 Transfer charging device, 106 Fixing device, 107 Cleaning device, 1071 Cleaning blade, 1072 Fatty acid metal salt-rectangular solid abrasive brush roller, 1073 Fatty acid metal salt -Rectangular parallelepiped shaped abrasive particle molded body, 1074 fatty acid metal salt-cuboid shaped abrasive particle molded body pushing member, 501 photoconductor, 502 cleaning blade, 503 small diameter fatty acid metal salt externally added toner, 504 fur brush supplied fatty acid metal salt particles, 505 cuboid Shape inorganic particles

Claims (10)

The electrostatic latent image on the image carrier is developed with toner to form a toner image, the toner image is transferred to the transfer body at the transfer portion, and then a cleaning blade in contact with the image carrier is used. An image forming method for removing transfer residual toner on the image carrier from the image carrier,
The the cleaning blade and the contact portion upstream in and transfer section downstream of the position of the said image bearing member, and a fatty acid zinc particles or a fatty acid calcium particle median size (D50) of 1.0 to 10.0μm on a volume basis, the number A rectangular parallelepiped inorganic particle having an average particle size of 0.1 to 0.4 μm is supplied to the surface of the image carrier,
An image forming method, wherein the toner comprises toner particles and fatty acid zinc or fatty acid calcium particles having a number average particle diameter of 0.1 to 0.5 μm. Relationship between the toner fatty zinc particles Ru contained or the number average particle diameter Da of the fatty acid calcium particles ([mu] m) and the rectangular parallelepiped inorganic particles having a number-average particle size of Dc ([mu] m) is,
1.5 ≦ Da / Dc ≦ 3
The image forming method according to claim 1, wherein: The clean grayed blade and the volume-based median diameter of the contact portion upstream a and fatty zinc particles are supplied to the image bearing member at the position of the transfer portion downstream or fatty acid calcium particles and the image bearing member (D50) is 3.0 The image forming method according to claim 1, wherein the image forming method is from 8.0 to 8.0 μm. The clean grayed blade and the image fatty zinc or fatty acid calcium particles are supplied to the carrier and the rectangular parallelepiped inorganic particles at the position of the contact portion upstream in and transfer portion downstream of said image bearing member, a fatty acid zinc or fatty acid calcium and cuboid the image forming method according to any one of claims 1 to 3 by taking a mixture of shaped inorganic particles brush roller Dekaki characterized in that it is supplied to the image bearing member surface. The image forming method according to claim 4, wherein a mixing ratio of the rectangular parallelepiped inorganic particles to the fatty acid metal salt in the mixture is 0.2 to 20% by volume. The rectangular solid inorganic particles strontium titanate or the image forming method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the calcium carbonate. The content of the toner in the contained Ru fatty zinc particles or a fatty acid calcium particles, any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that from 0.05 to 0.5 parts by mass with respect to 100 parts by weight of the toner particles 2. The image forming method according to item 1 . The main component of the fatty acid metal salt particles contained Ru in the toner is a fatty acid zinc particles, is supplied to the image bearing member at the contact portion upstream in and transfer section downstream of the position of the image bearing member and the cleaning grayed blade the image forming method according to any one of claims 1 to 7 the main component of the fatty acid metal salt particles are characterized by a fatty acid calcium particles. The fatty acid metal salt particles contained in the toner, and the fatty acid of the fatty acid metal salt particles supplied to the image carrier at a position upstream of the contact portion between the cleaning blade and the image carrier and downstream of the transfer portion , the image forming method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that the number 16 or higher fatty acid carbon. The image forming method according to claim 9, wherein the fatty acid is stearic acid or hydroxystearic acid.

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